Please advise and old timer

[urbandekay]

Hi, as someone trained on prussiks and used a carabiner as an abseil ring, I wonder if someone could take a few moments to explain the advantage of all these weird and wonderful pulleys and modern tackle? Thanks

[Timberwolf190]

It's a big topic and depends on which gizmo.. But in a nutshell.. Ease of operation, predictable friction, use of core muscles (foot ascenders), faster access with less effort, one handed slack tending on branch walks.., etc

Possibly best served by picking a gizmo and looking on YouTube for a video. The next best thing is having a go.

Lots of Arb shops do demos and trade fairs are a good place to see what's what. ;-)

[base]

The simple answer is less friction, when I think back to the days of a blakes hitch and no cambium saver and some rain I shudder at the thought.

 

I use a spider jack and and coccoon friction saver, makes life alot easier, and after18 years of tree work I'm not getting any younger

[urbandekay]

Ok, understand cambian saver, brilliant, in my opinion.

 

Foot ascenders sound good but the problem, as I see it and I wait with bated breath to be enlightened, is that whatever you use to ascend needs a held taught underneath. Do you tie the line to the base of the tree or what?

[McChipps]

You can have the rest of your rope in a rope bag, tie it to the line so it's suspended off the ground, using its weight to keep the line taught enough to advance the foot ascender...

[taffupatree]

You can get a groundy to hold the line tight for a few feet then it will be fine on it's own.

[urbandekay]

You can have the rest of your rope in a rope bag, tie it to the line so it's suspended off the ground, using its weight to keep the line taught enough to advance the foot ascender...

 

So, now I am thinking that part of the advantage is that with lower friction you need less weight on the line to keep it taught?

[treequip]

So, now I am thinking that part of the advantage is that with lower friction you need less weight on the line to keep it taught?

 

You need to get away from the tight line idea.

 

The line doesn't need to be tight, as soon as it has the weight of a couple of yards (old school units for ya:laugh1:) of rope below it, it will self tend through the ascender and can hang loose in the traditional way.

 

The first couple of yards goes easier if someone manages the rope for you.

[redmoosefaction]

Hi. Try the hitch climber set up as it's relatively cheap and start with the knut knot. Job done. You won't look back

[Stephen Blair]

As Treequip says, it's doesn't need to be tight below you.

I could never get round why some would want to srt up fresh air and then try and wrangle their way back onto the stem.

Then I got a bit older, don't climb as much and realised I didn't have the strength and enthusiasm I used to, to Prusik bounce all the way up a 50ft beech 4' wide!

I think you just need to expand your bag of tricks, I do 99% of my climbing with a rope, stinky glazed Prusik and a wire core flip line.

If there is a bigger tree needing tackled that isn't a dismantle, then I get myself into the slow zone! Dig out the throw line and bag, expect it to get tangled and stuck, carry a spare line and cat 2 linkage ball made of steel and that will bouce around the biggest crown and come back to earth lovely.

I have a pantin, ascender and now a smaller rope to get around the corners so to speak once you are dangling up under a big limb and needing around it.

It's alien to me and I feel nervous until I get up top and tie in with my old Prusik.

Then i Ditch all the gizmos, get myself a saw, throw down my jacket and jumper, tighten my harnes belt and make a cut and see what the woods up to that day. Then I feel at home:thumbup: